Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch challenges team to send Miguel Cabrera out a winner in final MLB season

Future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is playing in his 21st and final season this year. According to Tigers manager AJ Hinch, Cabrera would like to wrap up his career — and 15 years with Detroit — by playing on a winning team for the first time since 2016.

Hinch addressed Cabrera's wishes on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday:

"Miggy really wants to win and be a part of something that's fun this summer."

The words "win" and "fun" haven't been uttered much in Motown recently. After being at or above .500 in six of Miguel Cabrera's first seven seasons in Detroit, a stretch that included a World Series appearance in 2012, the Tigers have just one winning season since their last playoff berth in 2014.

Detroit finished 53.5 games out of first place in the American League Central in 2019 after posting a 47-114 record. The Tigers have had three 100-plus loss seasons since the turn of the century and lost 96 games last season.

While Miguel Cabrera's skills and statistics have declined sharply since he led the majors with a .338 batting average in 2015, he still remains a beloved team leader and fan favorite.

Tigers players have spoken publicly and amongst themselves about making a big deal of Cabrera's final MLB season. Hinch told MLB Network Radio that he knows of a simple way for the Detroit dugout to make the most of the season for themselves and Cabrera:

"If you want to honor Miguel Cabrera, then you should play better."

Hinch, who was a catcher for the Tigers near the end of his brief playing career in 2003, won a World Series as the manager of the Houston Astros in 2017. While a championship may be far beyond Detroit's grasp this season, he'd like to see the team making more of an effort to win than they have since he took over as manager in 2021.

However, he's being careful not to harp on the disappointments of 2022, telling MLive.com:

"I’m very careful in my tactics with them to not drag last year into this year. ... It’s a fresh start."

Miguel Cabrera at the close of a brilliant career

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers poses for a portrait during media day

Miguel Cabrera, who came to the Tigers in what proved to be a massively-lopsided trade with the Miami Marlins before the 2008 season, has put together a big league resume that has him almost certainly destined for a Hall of Fame nod in his first year of eligibility when the time comes.

In 20 seasons, Cabrera still carries a .308 batting average – in spite of not hitting over .300 since 2016. He has 507 home runs and 1,847 RBIs heading into his final trip around the majors.